Paperback Book, 160 pages

"Honest, exquisitely measured . . . inspiring in its reminder of the human spirit's capacity to endure."-"The New York Times Book Review"

"[An] astute study of family and place."-"Washington Post Book World"

In this collection of autobiographical essays, Maryse CondA(c) vividly evokes the relationships and events that gave her childhood meaning: discovering her parents' feelings of alienation; her first crush; a falling out with her best friend; the death of her beloved grandmother; her first encounter with racism.

These gemlike vignettes capture the spirit of CondA(c)'s fiction: haunting, powerful, poignant, and leavened with a streak of humor.

Maryse CondA(c)'s previous work includes the novels "Windward Heights "and "Desirada," both available from Soho Press.

"Honest, exquisitely measured . . . inspiring in its reminder of the human spirit's capacity to endure."-"The New York Times Book Review"

"[An] astute study of family and place."-"Washington Post Book World"

In this collection of autobiographical essays, Maryse CondA(c) vividly evokes the relationships and events that gave her childhood meaning: discovering her parents' feelings of alienation; her first crush; a falling out with her best friend; the death of her beloved grandmother; her first encounter with racism.

These gemlike vignettes capture the spirit of CondA(c)'s fiction: haunting, powerful, poignant, and leavened with a streak of humor.

Maryse CondA(c)'s previous work includes the novels "Windward Heights "and "Desirada," both available from Soho Press.